Category: San Francisco Giants

Harrison and Chapman lead Giants to first win of 2024 defeat Padres 8-3 at Petco

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San Francisco Giants hitter Matt Chapman (26) connects for a two run homer in the top of the ninth inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Fri Mar 29, 2024 (AP News photo)

Friday, March 29, 2024

Petco Park

San Diego, California

San Francisco Giants 8 (1-1)

San Diego Padres 3 (2-2)

Win: Kyle Harrison (1-0)

Loss: Joe Musgrove (0-1)

Time: 2:25

Attendance: 45,427

By Stephen Ruderman

Kyle Harrison pitched six strong innings, while allowing just two runs, and Matt Chapman went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a double and five RBIs to lead the Giants to their first win of the 2024 Season, as they beat the Padres 8-3 on a cool Friday night at Petco Park in San Diego.

The Giants dropped the opener yesterday after the Padres scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Giants did not seem to be too bothered by it, and looked to get their first win of the year tonight. 

With Blake Snell not yet ready to go, Kyle Harrison begins the season as the number-two starter in the Giants’ rotation, and thus he got the start tonight. Harrison was opposed by the right-hander, Joe Musgrove.

Jung-hoo Lee signled to lead off the game, but Jorge Soler hit into a 6-4-3 double play. It appeared as if it was going to be a quick and quiet top of the first inning for the Giants. However, LaMonte Wade Jr. singled to center, and Matt Chapman hit a two-run home run to right-center field . 

Wilmer Flores was then hit in the elbow with a pitch. Michael Conforto got Flores to third on the longest single of the year that hit off the bottom of the wall in right-center, and Thairo Estrada singled to left-center to score Flores to make it 3-0.

Kyle Harrison survived a two-out double by Jake Cronenworth in the bottom of the first, and  both pitchers threw 1-2-3 innings in the second. The Giants were unable to do anything with a leadoff single by Wade in the top of the third, and Harrison gave up a one-out single to Jose Azocar, but pitched a scoreless bottom of the third.

Patrick Bailey walked with one out in the top of the fourth, and Nick Ahmed was hit by a pitch immediately afterwards. That put runners at first and second with one out for Lee, who hit a ground ball up the middle and into center field for a base-hit that scored Bailey to make it 4-0 Giants.

Manny Machado hit a bomb into the front of the second deck out in left to put the Padres on the board with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Ha-seong Kim followed Machado’s home run by lining a single to left. Harrison was being tested for the first time tonight, but he got Jurickson Profar to fly out to center, and got Luis Campusano to pop out to second to end the inning.

Musgrove pitched a 1-2-3 top of the fifth, and Eugy Rosario led off the bottom of the fifth by hitting a high fly ball to right-center that was dropped by right-fielder LaMonte Wade, but Wade regrouped and threw the ball in to second-baseman Thairo Estrada, who made the relay throw to throw to nail Rosario. Harrison then kept his groove going, as he retired the next two batters he faced to end the inning.

Bailey singled with two outs in the top of the sixth to knock Musgrove out of the game, and Padres Manager Mike Shildt went to Stephen Kolek, who got Ahmed to ground out and end the inning.

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a home run to left to lead off the bottom of the sixth, this one deeper than Machado’s, as it sailed to the back of the second deck. Tatis’ home run made it a 4-2 game, but Harrison retired the next three men he faced. 

“As soon as I gave it up, it was on to the next [guy],” said Harrison. [I’ve] given up too many now to look down on it, or carry it on to the next pitch.”

That would do it for Harrison, who threw 76 pitches and gave up just two runs over six innings of work. One of Harrison’s struggles last season was his control, but tonight, he was in command, as he struck out five and didn’t issue a single walk.

“I’d say [I’ve] just been able to pitch; I’ve [been] able to slow the game down, and trust myself and trust my execution,” Harrison said of his differences between this and last season. “[It] felt good to be able to be in control of the game. I think that’s the big difference I felt.”

Kolek was back out on the mound for the Padres in the top of the seventh. Lee grounded out to second to start the inning, but Soler, who had grounded into a pair of double plays, doubled to right-center. Chapman then came up, and hit a double into the gap in left-center to make it 5-2. 

“With runners in scoring position, “[I] try to remind [my]self not to do too much,” said Chapman. “I just tr[ied] to put a good swing on the ball.”

Flores then singled to center to score Chapman and make it 6-2, and the Giants had their four-run lead back.

Landen Roupp came in to make his major league debut in the bottom of the seventh. Roupp hoped to mirror Erik Webb’s big league debut yesterday, where Webb threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth, but Roupp gave up a one-out base-hit to Campusano. However, Roupp retired Tyler Wade and Jackson Merrill to end the inning.

Enyel De Los Santos, who came in for Kolek after Flores’ RBI single in the seventh, was back out for the eighth. Bailey singled to right with one out, and when Tatis booted the ball, Bailey was fully expecting it, and did not hesitate in going to second. The Giants were in business to add to their four-run lead, but De Los Santos got out of the jam unscathed.

Tyler Rogers came in to make his 2024 debut in the bottom of the eighth, and went from a 3-0 count, to a 3-2 count, to a groundout to third from Xander Bogaerts to start the inning. Tatis then hit a line-drive home run to left that went into an open door and into the Padres’ team store at the base of the Western Metal Supply Co. Building for his second home run of the night to make it a 6-3 game.

Rogers has been very successful in his four-plus years with the Giants, but he has had a tendency to have those innings where everything went south on him. Rogers hit Cronenworth, and got Machado to a 3-2 count, as it appeared this was going to be one of those innings. However, Rogers threw a sinker that Machado hit to second for a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Pedro Avila came in for San Diego to start the ninth, and walked Jorge Soler, who later advanced to second on a wild pitch. LaMonte Wade struck out, but Matt Chapman hit his second home run of the night, a bomb that sailed into the upper deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. Building to give the Giants their biggest lead of the night at 8-3.

Giants Closer Camilo Doval had been warming up in preparation for a potential save situation, but with Chapman’s second home run, Bob Melvin went to Ryan Walker, who relieved Luke Jackson in the Padres’ four-run bottom of the seventh in the opener yesterday. 

Walker did give up a leadoff base-hit to Kim, but he then got Profar to ground into the not-so-common 5-6-3 double play to get the first two outs. Luis Campusano then grounded out to second, and the Giants had their first win of the season.

“I think yesterday, we took great at-bats, and we [were] still battling at the end of the game,” said third-baseman Matt Chapman. “Mikie [Conforto] hit that homer, and we were able to have that momentum going into today…..It’s nice when we can jump on them in the first inning like that.”

With the Giants in the in column for the first time this season, they are now 1-1. This is not only the Giants’ first win of the season, but this is Bob Melvin’s first win as the Giants’ manager. In his postgame press conference, Melvin gave all the credit to the team, particularly to Matt Chapman. It was only fitting that Chapman, who played for Melvin in Oakland with the A’s, was a big part of it.

Kyle Harrison got his first win of the season, and Joe Musgrove took the loss.

“The plan for me to[night] was to really just get ahead of guys and limit the walks,” said Harrison. “I was still pissed about the two bombs. Obviously, you don’t want to give those up as a pitcher, but we got the win, so that’s all that matters.”

Harrison also said that Logan Webb, who Harrison worked out and trained with in the off-season, was the first guy to reach out to him after his start tonight. Harrison expressed how grateful he was to have Webb on his side.

Over the first two games of the season, the Giants have been playing small ball and manufacturing runs. It’s a big difference from the over-reliance the team had on home runs under Gabe Kapler over the last four years. 

The Giants did play their fair share of situational baseball during their run in June last season, but for whatever reason, went back to overly relying on home runs. If the Giants can stay consistent with not overly relying on one approach this season, it will carry them a long way.

Jordan Hicks is scheduled to make his Giants debut tomorrow in what will be his first start of his reliever-to-starter experiment. Hicks pitched five no-hit innings in the Giants’ exhibition game in Oakland against the A’s on Monday night. 

Tomorrow’s game is set to be nationally televised by FOX with the first pitch at 4:15 p.m., but with rain in the forecast in San Diego, there is no guarantee that tomorrow’s game will be played.

News and Notes:

  • The Giants made two roster moves prior to tonight’s game. 

Luke Jackson was placed on the 15-day Injured List after tweaking his back in the Giants’ opener yesterday; and Mike Yastrzemski, whose wife is expected to give birth to the couple’s second child, has been placed on the paternity list. 

Luis Matos and Kei-Wei Teng were called up. Teng, a right-handed relief pitcher, was born in Taiwan, and if he appears in a game with the Giants, he will be the first taiwanese-born player in franchise history.

Giants sputter late in San Diego in 6-4 loss to open season

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San Diego Padres Jurickson Profar (10) hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning at Petco Park in San Diego against the San Francisco Giants on Thu Mar 28, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Petco Park

San Diego, California

San Francisco Giants 4 (0-1)

San Diego Padres 6 (2-1)

Win: Yuki Matsui (1-0)

Loss: Luke Jackson (0-1)

Save: Robert Suarez (2)

Time: 2:34

Attendance: 44,953

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants sputtered late on Opening Day, as after what was mostly a seesaw battle, the Padres scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, and the Giants ended up losing 6-4 to open the 2024 Regular Season.

Today was the start of a new season and a new era for the Giants. A whole number of people were making their Giants debut today, including most notably, Manager Bob Melvin. Melvin was returning to San Diego, where he managed the Padres to the National League Championship Series in 2022, but left for the Giants after an 82-80 season last year.

For the Padres, they were playing their third game of the season, as they opened the season by splitting two games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea.

Speaking of South Korea, their native son, Jung-hoo Lee, who was signed by the Giants over the off-season, led off the game to make his major league debut. Lee saw three pitches from Yu Darvish and struck out, as Darvish threw a 1-2-3 inning.

Darvish was opposed by Logan Webb, who was making his third-straight opening day start for the Giants. Webb also threw a 1-2-3 inning in the first, and both pitchers threw 1-2-3 innings again in the second.

Michael Conforto lined a double down the right-field line to start the top of the third. Patrick Bailey flew out to center-field, but Nick Ahmed took a high fastball from Darvish, and smoked it down the left-field line for a double to score Conforto, as the Giants struck first.

Webb threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the third, and set down the first nine men he faced. LaMonte Wade Jr. and Matt Chapman singled to start the fourth, but the Giants were unable to do anything with it. Xander Bogaerts hit a bloop single to center on the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth, but that was followed up by a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Fernendo Tatis Jr. Nick Cronenworth then grounded out to short, and Webb was cruising through four innings.

With two outs in the top of the fifth, Lee lined his first big league hit to center, but he was immediately picked off by Darvish to end the inning.

“I did get my hit, but right after I got picked off by Darvish, so I never really got that time to feel that I actually got a hit,” said Lee through his interpreter, Justin Han. “The most memorable moment has to be the packed crowds. The level of baseball is way higher here in the major leagues. The level of fans is [at] a higher volume, also.”

Things got tough for Webb in the bottom of the fifth. Manny Machado walked to start the inning, and Ha-seong Kim singled Machado to third. Jurickson Profar then hit a weak ground ball in the vicinity of second base, but it found its way into right-center for a base-hit, as Machado scored to tie the game. Luis Campusano followed that up with a base-hit to load the bases.

The Padres had the bases loaded with nobody out and a run already in with Tylor Wade at the plate. Tylor Wade hit a little ground ball along the first-base line that was picked up by first-baseman LaMonte Wade, who applied a tag on Tylor Wade, but missed it according to First Base Umpire Adam Hamari. Kim scored to give the Padres their first lead of the game, but the umpires conferred, and determined that Wade had run outside the baseline, and thus Wade was called out.

The Giants had just caught a massive break, as the Padres sent in Jose Azocar to pinch-run for Profar at third. The Giants then played the infield in for Jackson Merrill, who hit a sharp ground ball to the right-side; second-baseman Thairo Estrada ranged to his right to grab it and fire a throw home to get Azocar at the plate for the second out. Bogaerts then popped up to shortstop Nick Ahmed on the first pitch to end the inning.

Jorge Soler walked to lead off the top of the sixth, and that knocked Darvish out of the game. Padres Manager Mike Shildt brought in the lefty, Tom Cosgrove. Melvin countered by pinch-hitting Wilmer Flores for LaMonte Wade, but Flores struck out swinging, and Cosgrove set down all three men he faced to end the inning.

Webb ran into trouble again in the bottom of the sixth. Tatis led off the inning with a base-hit to center, and very alertly went from first to third on a weak ground out between the pitcher’s mound and first off the bat of Jake Cronenworth. Webb got Machado to pop out to second, and then chose to put Kim on. Azocar then struck out swinging in his first plate appearance to end the inning.

That would do it for Webb, who threw 97 pitches over six innings. Webb set down the first nine men he faced, and faced the minimum through his first four innings. He gave up two runs in the fifth, but braved in there to go six.

“It was nice today to get out there and get the adrenaline going,” said Webb. “Even after I came out there were a lot of broken-bat base hits, not a lot of balls hit hard. That’s baseball, though. Sometimes baseball is cruel like that.”

The Padres brought in Johny Brito for the seventh. Estrada and Conforto singled to start the top of the seventh. Bailey then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over to second and third. That brought up Ahmed, who had the lone Giants’ RBI to this point, and Ahmed lined a single to left to score Estrada to tie the game.

Yuki Matsui, the left-hander whom the Padres had signed from Japan, was brought in to face Lee, who hit a sacrifice fly to center to knock in Conforto and put the Giants back ahead for his first major league RBI. However, Ahmed, who had advanced to second on a wild pitch by Matsui, got caught in a rundown between second and third after the throw from center-fielder Jackson Merrill was cut off, and was tagged out to end the inning.

Melvin brought in Luke Jackson for the bottom of the seventh, and Jackson gave up singles to Campusano and Wade to start the inning, which put runners on the corners with nobody out. With Merrill up, Wade took off for second, but Ahmed dropped the throw from Bailey, and the ball ricocheted into shallow left-center field, which allowed Campusano to score to tie the game and Wade to get to third. Jackson then walked Merrill, and left the game after he tweaked his back on the pitch.

Ryan Walker came in for Jackson, and the Padres kept going. Bogaerts singled to score Wade and give the Padres the lead. Tatis grounded out to third, but Cronenworth doubled to the wall in right to score two and extend the Padres’ lead to 6-3.

“Webby pitched his ass off. I wish we could’ve gotten him the [win],” said Jackson. “I felt great the whole outing and then, I think it was a fastball to Merrill, something happened. I tried to throw another pitch because it didn’t feel as bad as last year and had no idea where it was going. Other than that I felt fantastic. Nothing lingering from last year. Just one of those outings where I wish we could’ve gotten Webby the [win].”

Walker escaped the inning without any further damage, but the damage had been done, and the life was sucked out of the Giants, who went down 1-2-3 against Matsui in the top of the eighth.

Melvin then brought in the lefty Erik Miller for his major league debut. Miller pitched a 1-2-3 inning, and capped it off with a strike out of Eguy Roasario on a high fastball.

Robert Suarez came in for the ninth, and set down the first two men he faced. Conforto hit a home run to right-center to make it 6-4, but Bailey grounded out to second to end the game.

The Giants fall to 0-1, and while it is March 28, it always hurts to lose on Opening Day, because 1-0 looks a lot better than 0-1. This is the second-straight opening day loss for the Giants, and their fifth over the last six years.

The good news is that there are 161 of these things left, and Kyle Harrison will take the hill tomorrow night against Joe Musgrove. First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m.

News and Notes:

Despite a strong spring in which he hit .302, Luis Matos did not make the Opening Day roster. Less surprisingly, Marco Luciano, who had a rough spring, but turned things around during the final week of camp, did not make the roster either.

The Giants decided to carry three catchers, as Patrick Bailey, Tom Murphy and Joey Bart all made the Opening Day roster.

According to Alex Pavlovic, the Giants Beat Writer for NBC Sports Bay Area, Blake Snell was at Petco Park today for Opening Day, but will return to Scottsdale tomorrow to get work in, and could be ready to join the rotation as soon as the end of next week, when the Giants open the home part of their schedule against the Padres.

Jackson will undergo an MRI on his back. As of now, no roster move has been made.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Padres come back from behind to defeat Giants 6-4 in opener

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San Francisco Giants Nick Ahmed (16) swings for a seventh inning RBI single against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego on Thu Mar 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

#1 The San Diego Padres Jake Cronenworth hit a two run double in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park 6-4 on opening day on Thursday.

#2 Michael the loss spoils Giants manager Bob Melvin’s return to San Diego and the Padres had to come back from behind to overtake Melvin and the Giants.

#3 The Giants Jung Hoo Lee hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh in Lee’s first big league hit. Melvin is expecting big things out of Lee this season.

#4 Giants starter Logan Webb pitched six innings, gave up two earned runs and five hits and struck out five batters. Webb wanted to give a little more but battled in this one today.

#5 Giants try it again for game two of the series at Petco Park. San Francisco starting pitcher Kyle Harrison a left hander going up against the Padres right hander Joe Musgrove. Michael talk about this match up and can the Giants even the series on Friday night?

Join Michael Duca for the San Francisco Giants podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors grind out a win over Magic 101-93; Green gets 4th ejection of season

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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) tries to keep the ball away from Orlando Magic forward Pablo Banchero (5) in the first half in Orlando on Wed Mar 27, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The stage was set for an intense battle as the Warriors squared off against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night in Orlando. The Magic, boasting a formidable lineup with five players towering over six feet ten inches and one at six feet nine inches, currently sit atop the Southeast Division with an impressive record of 42-29.

The absence of the Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga only added to the challenge. The Magic, known for their defensive prowess, rank among the top four defensive teams in the NBA. They also lead the league in the number of free throws taken, a testament to their aggressive style of play. The Warriors, facing a significant height disadvantage, knew they had their work cut out for them.

To make matters worse, Draymond Green was charged with two technical fouls with less than four minutes of action. Draymond was ejected. The Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, had to find a way to beat the Magic.

The Magic’s game plan was to bottle up Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Keeping those two under their season’s averages meant someone had to step up. Andrew Wiggins was the man. Wiggins scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. Wiggins blocked a shot late in the game to help the Warriors hold off the Magic. The Warriors held on a late Magic run to win the game 101-93.

The Magic scored the game’s first basket to lead 2-0. With the score tied 6-6, Wiggins was called for a foul. Green argued with the referee and received his first technical foul. As the Refs walked up the court, Green did something that got him his second technical and an automatic ejection.

The Magic’s last lead came with a score of 8-6. The Warriors went on a 21-4 run to finish the quarter leading 27-11. Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Thompson paced the Warrior offense.

The Magic’s offense fought back in the second quarter. The Magic outscored the Dubs by eight, 26-18, to finish the first half trailing 45-37. Both teams were playing excellent defense. The Warriors held the Magic to 37 points in the half.

Last Night in Miami, The Warriors held the Heat to 32 points in the second half. Even without Green, the Warriors showed the NBA they know how to defend. Wiggins, Thompson, and Podziemski were excellent, keeping the much bigger Magic squad from scoring points in the paint.

Wiggins and Thompson led the Warriors with seven points in the half. Curry had six. Moses Moody knocked a key three and had five in the half. Podziemski and Gary Payton II each had six. The leading scorer for Orlando was Paolo Branchero, who scored nine. The Warriors’ defense held the Magic to 30% from the floor.

Things changed in the third quarter. The Magic, the worst team in the league shooting threes, connected on four threes to trail 49-41. The Magic’s Cole Anthony connected on five threes to help his team close the gap. The Warriors regrouped and led by 15, 63-48, after Gui Santos hit a three. Orlando went on an 11-2 run to trail by six, 65-59. The Magic won the quarter 29-27 to trail by six, 72-66 at the end of three quarters.

Wiggins hit a three to start the fourth quarter. The Magic hit a three, and Wiggins hit another three. The Warriors had an answer for every Magic bucket, but the Magic kept on coming. With the score 94-88, Orlando hit a three to make it 94-91. The Warriors failed to score. Orlando made a two-point play to trail by one, 94-93. Payton made a three, and Curry scored the game’s last five points. The Warriors win 101-93.

Game Notes: The Warriors are now 38-34. They have ten games left in the regular season. They play the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night in Charlotte. The Magic fell to 42-30.

Wiggins had one of his best games of the season. He led the team with 23 points, pulled down six rebounds, and blocked a shot late in the fourth quarter to help the Warriors win. Curry finished with a double-double. Curry scored 17 points and had ten assists. Curry made three threes.

Thomson tallied 15, and he, too, had three threes. Moody had 12, Gary Payton ten. The Warriors shot 44% from the floor as a team and made ten threes. The Warrior’s defense held the Magic to 42%. The Magic also made ten threes. The leading score for Orlando was Cole Anthony. Coming off the bench, Anthony recorded 26 points. He made five threes in seven tries. Banchero had 15, and Franz Wagner added 14.

The Warrior’s game against the Hornets starts at 4 pm Friday.

San Francisco Giants game wrap: Pablo gets hit in final at bat; SF loses in final pre season game to Oakland 3-1

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San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval ends his active baseball career with a broken bat flare to right against the Oakland A’s at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Mar 26, 2024 (San Francisco Giants X account)

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Athletics. 001 101 000. 3. 6. 0

San Francisco. 000 000 001. 1. 8. 0

Time: 2:24

Attendance: 27,706

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants advertised this evening’s exhibition against the Utopian A’s as, perhaps, a last chance to see Pablo Sandoval play in a San Francisco uniform. Then they saluted him in their opening announcement.

The fans cheered the portly veteran, and they cheered JD Davis in his first at bat as an A in his old Oracle home. Sandoval got another ovation, a standing one, when he entered the game to play third in the top of the sixth. .But those of us who remember Brandon Crawflord’s long farewell say “maybe.” We shall see what we shall see.

Personally, I’d like to see the Panda suit up in an Oakland Ballers uni. And, by the way, I call the A’s “Utopian,” because the word is derived from the Greek for “nowhere.” Perhaps “peripatetic” would be a better choice. I’m open for suggestions; feel free to send them to me at lrubman@sportsradioservice.com.

Looking at the starting pitchers for the encounter between the San Franciscans and the team that once was their trans bay rivals, you’d want to run to Las Vegas and put your money on the A’s. Manager Mark Kotsay gave the nod to staff ace Paul Blackburn; Bob Melvin called Spencer Howard over from the minor league camp to open for the Giants. The result was a thrilling win for the visitors.

Blackburn went 5-2/3 innings, shutting San Francisco down on only a pair of singles without allowing anyone else to reach base. He struck. out six, and 48 of his 74 offerings were counted as strikes, while Howard was removed after Nick Allen’s hard line drive in the second bounced off him, forcing Matt Chapman to make a spectacular grab and throw for the inning’s second. out.

That cost the right handed hurler a contusion on his pitching arm. The young pitcher gave up one hit and struck 0ut two in his brief, 25 pitch outing. As could be expected in 21st century baseball, especially in spring training, there was a lot of relief pitching.

The A’s used four relief pitchers, Austin Adams, who closed out the sixth with a strikeout; Kyle Muller(one inning, one hit, one strikeout); Tyler Ferguson 9 (one inning, two hits, no runs); and Vinny Nittoli, who was on the bump. in the bottom or the ninth when Pablo lifted a 1-2 cut fastball over Abraham Toro’s head into right for a single, which was greeted by thunderous applause.

The Panda was lifted for a pinch runner Dalton Walton, who scored on Joey Bart’s single to center, closing the gap to 3-1. But Nitoli. buckled down to strike out Luciano and Slater, to earn the save.

The Giants’ list was composed of Cody Stashak, who retired the only batter he faced. Blayne Enlow, another minor league righty, came on to pitch the top of the third. He allowed a run on a walk to Carlos Pérez and Ryan Nola’s double down the right field line, and was the victim of some bad luck (although not as bad as Howard’s).

Lawrence Butler led off with a single to left and advanced to second on a one out weak infield grounder to Chapman, Butler came home on Esteury Ruíz’s shallow sac fly to right. Butler was just, but clearly, safe at home, and the A’s were up, 2-0.

Enlow gave way to Taylor Rogers after going 2-1/3 frames and yielding two runs, both earned but not fully deserved, on three hits and two walks, Taylor, the left handed, Rogers took over for him with the bases empty and one down in the fifth and got his two batters.

The next Giant on the mound, Camilo Duval, was greeted by Butler with a resounding triple to left. He scored on Nick Allen’s sacrifice fly to left, making it 3-0 in favor of the green and gold Duval hung on to give up another hit, a single, and get four more outs before making room for Tyler, the right handed submarining, Rogers. in the eighth. Nick Avila set the Athletics down to a conga beat, 1-2-3, in the top of the ninth.

Blackburn got the win; Enlow, the loss, and Nittoli, the save.

The Giants will embark on a brief tour of southernCalifornia to open the National League season, visiting San Diego andLos Angeles. The will begin on Thursday the 28th against the Padres, where they’ll send LogannWebb to the mound. He’s expected to be opposed by Yu Darvish. The orange and black will return home to face the Padres at Oracle Park on Saturday, April 6, at 1:05 in the afternoon.

Tiger’s Treasure Trove: He Was A Giant? Randy Elliott

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Randy Elliott outfielder for the San Francisco Giants 1977 #16 (1977 Topps Baseball card)

Though treasured by critics and fans alike, the classic sitcom “Seinfeld” is known as a television show about “nothing.” Spring Training isn’t dissimilar. 

By Tony The Tiger Hayes

While Spring Training has become less and less practical for millionaire ballplayers – generational financial security makes year round training much easier – the sport’s preseason warmup period has become increasingly popular for sports and good-time seeking tourists over the past two decades

Spring Training has became the ultimate drug for geriatric thawing snowbirds and spry spring breakers seeking relaxation and fun in the sun.

But if you’re looking for competitive action – you’d be better off spying souvenir seekers jockeying for autographs alongside dugout railings in a preseason setting more accessible than the regular grind.

But don’t ever think of telling former big league outfielder Randy Lee Elliott that Spring Training is an exercise in unimportance.

The former Giant forever wrote his name in baseball history in 1977 when he produced arguably the greatest Cactus League campaign in the history of baseball.

This current spring, unsung Giants prospect Ismael Munguia opened eyes – winning the Giants Barney Nugent Award for best performance by a spring training newcomer with a scintillating Cactus League performance.

But somewhere along California’s central coast, Elliott was likely saying, ‘hold my beer’ in response.

In the spring of 1977 Elliott batted a jaw dropping .547 (29-for-53, with a whopping 18 extra base hits.

Within one month, Elliott went from a giant after thought to Giants Folk Hero.

Why Was He a Giant?

Though this California native played in 114 Major League regular season games over parts of four Major League seasons, Elliott would have fallen into the spittoon of big league obscurity if not for his dominating performance during San Francisco’s 1977 Cactus League campaign.

Though he had not played in a professional game since mid-1975, inactivity was hardly an issue for Randy who came to camp as a non-roster invitee.

Elliott quickly made himself comfortable at home plate –

rampaging through opposing pitching as if he were swinging an oversized cartoon bat.

As most of the country was still struggling with winter permafrost and new President Jimmy Carter, Elliott was all ready heated like a wood burning furnace on full blast stove on the first day exhibition season.

With the team in flux with a new manager Joe Altobelli and prime opportunities in the outfield, Elliott banged 13 hits in his first 18 at bats of the preseason.

By late March, Elliott was still scorching hot, as his average hovered at an ungodly number.

“It is quite obvious that Randy intends on making the club,” said Altobelli, after Elliott smoked a pair of hits including a 425-foot round tripper in a mid-spring contest March 27 vs. the Brewers and watched his average DROP 15 points to .653.

Making Elliott’s spring story even more remarkable was the fact he had missed the entire 1976 season with a shoulder separation. The debilitating injury, which occurred in mid-1975, and sidelined him throughout the 1976 season, leaving Elliott to wonder if his big league dreams had fizzled.

But the Giants- who had organizational issues on a par with outfielder’s injuries – took a flyer on Randy, inviting him to their Winter League Instructional League in late ‘76.

Elliott quickly shook off the rust and batted .331 in the Arizona based loop. Next came an invite to 1977 Spring Training.

San Francisco was hoping to stow away the Padres former top draft pick at Triple—A Phoenix. In emergency he would be a phone call away.

But Elliott had a different goal: securing a spot on the Giants Opening Day roster. Those were big plans for a guy who had essentially spent the previous summer jogging and lounging on Santa Barbara beaches.

“I figured this was my last year to make it to the big leagues. I knew if I didn’t have a heck of s spring training I’d be back at Triple-A ball,” Elliott told the Giants beat scribes. “I’m 25 now and have been in the minors for quite a long time now. The clubs start to lose interest after awhile.”

Before & After

On his 18th birthday in June of 1969, Elliott – a top prospect out of Camarillo High School – was selected by San Diego in the first round (24th overall) of the 1969 amateur draft. He waisted little time showing his ability, batting .302, 4, 50 that summer in the the expansion club’s rookie league team at Salt Lake City and then followed up with two solid seasons in 1970-71 at Single-A Lodi in the California League.

After a breakout campaign at Double-A Alexandria of the Texas League in 1972 (.335, 19, 85) the Padres appeared to have found their first home grown star in Randy and promoted to him to the big leagues in September of ‘72.

Elliott smacked his first two big league hits against future Hall of Famer Phil Niekro in a 4-1 loss at Atlanta (9/10/72). Later in the season Elliott rocketed a go-ahead RBI pinch hit triple off the Dodgers Claude Osteen in a 5-3 Friers win at Los Angeles (9/25/72)

But despite showing flashes, the 21-year-old appeared over matched in his big league audition, mustering just a .204 average (10-for-49, with 11 strikeouts).

Still the future looked extremely bright for Elliott heading into the 1973 season. Besides break out slugger Nate Colbert, San Diego had no established starting outfielders,. With a strong spring Elliott was capable of winning a starting gig with the woeful Padres.

But instead of a breakout campaign, ‘73 marked Elliott’s first extended stay on the disabled list. Shoulder and rib injuries limited Elliott to just a handful of minor league games that season making it overall a lost opportunity to propel his fledgling career.

After knocking off some initial rust, an able-bodied Elliott rebounded mightily in 1974 at Triple-A Hawaii. The burly Californian’s bat must have resembled a long board to opposing pitchers as he batted a mighty .321, 11, 69 in the Tropical setting.

Again, the Pads came calling after his luau style feast on PCL pitching and invited him to wear Brown & Mustard Yellow in September. Elliott crushed his first MLB long ball that month, ripping a solo poke of Reds ace Don Gullett in a 5-2 road loss (9/10/74); he also achieved his first three hit game as a big leaguer – batting 3-for-4 with a double and RBI in a 3-2 home win against San Francisco (9/25/74).

Elliott found himself back in paradise- Honolulu- in 1975, but not in the major leagues. His PCL numbers were solid, but he also spent more time on sidelines with injuries – he’s achilles heel turned out to be his left shoulder. The debilitating separation injury would linger for the rest of his career.

Meanwhile San Diego, wary of Elliott stalled progress moved up three top prospects- Dave Winfield, Johnny Grubb and future Giant Mike Ivie ahead of him on the depth chart.

Elliott’s days as a Frier were cooked.

The California Angels took a flyer on Elliott in 1976, but the shoulder situation kept him sidelined for the entire campaign.

The Giants- who’s outfielder situation was murky – had many players rated higher on their depth chart

Veterans Bobby Murcer and Gary Matthews had decamped via trade and free agency respectively, but the Giants outfield situation was still chock-a-block with contenders for at-bats. There were veteran holdovers Gary Thomasson and Darrell Evans as well youngsters Jack Clark, Larry Herndon and Terry Whitfield. Former Dodgers stalwart Willie Crawford was also in camp.

Elliott, shockingly, outperformed them all that spring- and it wasn’t even close.

With a week to go in spring camp, Altobelli, announced that not only had Elliott made the parent club, he was strongly being considered to start in left field on opening day in Los Angeles.

Elliott vowed to make Altobelli a proud rookie skipper. “The conditions this spring were just right, I don’t know if another manager would have given me such a complete look as Joe,” he said.

He Never Had a Giants Bobblehead Day. But…

As it turned out, Elliott did not receive the Giants Opening Day left field starter assignment in Los Angeles- Thomasson received the nod a promptly clubbed a home run to lead off the game and season vs. Don Sutton.

But Elliott was in the lineup the following game vs. Dodgers lefty Doug Rau. In his first at bat however, Elliott was hit by a pitch by Rau … on his problem shoulder. On his next at bat Elliott felt his shoulder popped loose.

He was back at square one. Not wanting to go back on the disabled list Elliott soldiered on.

The starting assignments dwindled as did his batting average. Elliott managed to stick with the parent Giants for most the 1977 season and became an adapt pinch hitter slugging three pinch home runs that season including a grand slam off the Reds Fred Norman.

In 73 games with San Francisco, Elliott batted .240, 7, 26 – all career highs.

Elliott did not play organized ball in 1978-79, but he returned to the professional ranks in 1980 and even played in a handful of games with the Oakland A’s before retiring from the sport.

Years later, Elliott was philosophical about his time in baseball and the that spring training with the Giants.

“(I played so well) because shoulder stayed in the whole time,” he told the Chronicle. “When my shoulder was healthy, I could play.”

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: A’s and Giants close out spring training tonight; Pablo’s last hurrah at Oracle Park leaves lots of memories

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San Francisco Giants utility man Pablo Sandoval trying on the catchers glove during spring training. Sandoval is making what is expected his last appearance as an active player at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Mar 26, 2024 in an exhibition game between the Giants and Oakland A’s (photo from the San Francisco Giants X account)

On the SF Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stephen kind of a big night for the Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval who tried as hard he could will most likely be bidding farewell tonight to the Oracle Park crowd.

#2 It’s the Giants final spring game closing it out with the Oakland A’s which is a back drop to Sandoval saying good bye and lots of memories a few World Series rings.

#3 Stephen the Giants are pretty solid looking around the diamond and who they have position by position.

#4 Some of the Giants acquisitions that made big news in the off and pre season with Blake Snell, Jordan Hicks, Matt Chapman, and Jung Hoo Lee.

#5 Didn’t get a chance to talk to you ab out the Giants not renewing PA announcer Renel Brooks Moon’s contract. The Giants say they’re going to rotate PA announcers and decide on a permanent PA announcer during the season.

Stephen Ruderman is a MLB beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants game wrap: Luciano double and Slater homers in 4-1 win

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The San Francisco Giants did the bulk of their scoring in the top of the fourth and fifth innings against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum in pre season play on Mon May 25, 2024 (San Francisco Giants X photo)

Monday, May 25, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

San Francisco. 010 120 000. 4. 6. 0

Athletics. 000 001 000. 1. 4. 1

Attendance: 7,580

OAKLAND–The rootless Athletics came back to Oakland to wind up their spring training with an uneventful 4-1 losss ti the San Francisco Giants in the first of a two game crash pad-home series at the Coliseum this evening.

The green and gold entered the fray with a 13-13 Cactus League record and an interesting assortment of veterans, including JD Davis, Abraham Toro, 29 year old 4A slugger Miguel Andújar, and an improved Paul Blackburn; inexperienced but clearly of major league calibre like Zach Gelof, with his 2023 Baseball Reference WAR of 2.6 and Esteury Ruíz, who stole 68 bases, whether the game situation called for it or not, to go along with his .248 batting average; and youngsters who are on the verge of establishing their bona fides, like Seth Langeliers, who hit only .205 (with an OPS of .683), but whose 2024 spring training numbers going into today were .372, 9.75) and Brent Rookie, who made the 2023 all-star team and then went into free fall until September, finishing the year with a mediocre batting average of .248 but an exciting OPS of .817).

And then there’s non-roster invitee Ho Jun Park, who’s seen considerable Cactus League action and was hitting over 500 when the team broke camp.

Before the gates opened, the A’s announced that they had bought right-handed pitcher Austin Adams’ contract from the Mets. Adams was added to the 40-man roster, and his fellow right handed pitcher Trevor Gott was placed on the 60-day injured list.

Matt Chapman, returning to the Coliseum in a Giants uniform, received a nice round of applause on his first plate appearance from the 7,580 fans who bothered to show up.

In on field action, San Francisco jumped to an early lead on a leadoff 375.foot line drive home run to left by Tom Murphy off a 93.2 four seamer. He duplicated that feat with another round tripper over the left field auxiliary, a 405 foot blast scoreboard that left the Giant catcher’s bat at 106.2 mph.

This one came off an 84.6 mph changeup. One out later, right handed Michael Kelly replaced the southpaw Sears, who hadn’t allowed any hits except for Murphy’s two dingers, in 3-2/3 innings, during which he threw 70 pitches, 39 for strikes. He walked four and struck out three, and was the losing pitcher, leaving him at 2-2, 2.70 for the spring.

The Giants increased their lead in the top of the fifth on a lead off double by Marco Luciano that got past a diving Lawrence Butler in right, followed by Jung -Hoo Lee’s productive ground out to second, Austin Slater’s sac fly to right and a homer to left by Wilmer Flores. By now, it was 4-0, Giants.

Zack Jackson hurled a scoreless top of the sixth before giving way to Dany Jiménez, who retired the side in order in the seventh. Lucas Erceg rode the bullpen merry-go-round in the eighth, the inning that produced the loudest response from the select gathering in the stands, cheers for a single to left by Pablo Sandoval, who had entered the game in the bottom of the seventh to play third base. Mason Miller put the visitors down in order in the ninth.

Lefty Juan Sánchez relieved Hicks, who left after holding the A’s to one base runner, Gelof, who walked in the opening frame, over five innings, in which he threw 72 pitches, 45 of which counted as strikes, and striking out 10 batters he was credited.

Another southpaw, minor leaguer Erik Miller relieved Sánchez with two on and one down in the bottom of the sixth, and he surrendered an RBI single to Toro, who had replaced Gelof as the A’s second sacker. Ryan Walker kept the A’s off the board ij the seventh, and RJ Dabvoich, a minor leaguer, unleashed two wild pitches and yielded an equal number of bases on balls but escaped unscored upon thanks to a crisp inning ending 6-4-3 double play on Rooker’s sharp grounder. Another minor league righty, Justin Garza earned the save by setting the Athletics down in order.

Both teams will wrap up their preseason activity tomorrow, Tuesday afternoon, with a 5:05 game at Oracle Park. The A’s will send Paul Blackburn to the mound; the Giants haven’t announced who will start for them.

Giants spanked by Triple-A affiliate River Cats 8-1 in Exhibition Game in Sacramento

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San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval take a few cuts at their game against the Sacramento River Cats at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento on Sun Mar 24, 2024 (San Francisco Giants X photo)

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento, California

Sacramento River Cats 8

San Francisco Giants 1

Win: Darren McCaugham (5-4)

Loss: Miguel Yajure (0-2)

Time: 2:40

Attendance: 14,014* (No official attendance was given for tonight’s game, but since the game was sold out, and the seating capacity of Sutter Health Park is 14,014, it can be assumed that it was the attendance tonight.)

By Stephen Ruderman

SACRAMENTO–The Giants came to Sacramento for the third Giants vs. River Cats exhibition game, and were smoked by their Triple-A affiliate, 8-1.

The Giants broke camp on Saturday after an 11-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Scottsdale Stadium, the Giants’ spring training ballpark. They flew home to San Francisco after the game, got some rest and then took the bus to Sacramento, where they would be the home team, to play their Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats.

This was the third time the two teams matched up for an exhibition game at Sutter Health Park. The first contest came on March 30, 2016, when the Giants as the home team beat the River Cats 8-4. The Giants returned to Sacramento on March 24, 2018, this time as the road team, and lost a tight one by a final of 6-5.

There was a lot of excitement in the air at Sutter Health Park. This stemmed from Giants fans in Sacramento getting to see their team play in their hometown for the first six years, as well as the fact that the team had a strong off-season, and greatly improved the team. Fans in Northern California were also going to get to see Jung-hoo Lee up close and in person for the first time, which generated plenty of excitement.

Dusty Baker, a Sacramento kid, who had retired from managing at the end of the 2023 season, and who has returned to the Giants as a Special Advisor to Baseball Operations, was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Baker received a standing ovation from the soldout crowd at Sutter Health Park as he walked out to the mound to throw the pitch.

The teams were interestingly divided, as most of the minor leaguers played for the River Cats, but a few suited up for the Giants. One of the minor leaguers who put on a Giants uniform tonight was Carson Seymour, who was the starting pitcher for San Francisco tonight. On the mound for Sacramento was Mason Black, who is much more likely to see time with the Giants than Seymour.

Wade Meckler led off the game for Sacramento, and lined a double down the right-field line. Heliot Ramos got an infield hit that moved Meckler to third-base, and David Villar singled to right to knock in Meckler. Trenton Brooks walked to load the bases, and that brought up Casey Schmitt, who hit a ground ball to the Giants’ shortstop, Nick Ahmed, who was able to help turn a 6-4-3 double play for the first two outs. That scored Ramos, but since it was a double play, Schmitt did not get an RBI.

Black survived a pair of walks in the bottom of the first inning, and Seymour settled down to throw a 1-2-3 innings in top of the second, as well as the top of the third.

The Giants did not get their first hit off Black until Lee legged out an infield single to start the bottom of the third. Lee advanced to second on a wild pitch, and got to third on a ground out by Austin Slater, but was caught in a rundown for the second out of the inning on a ground ball off the bat of LaMonte Wade Jr.

For Black, he ended up pitching three and two thirds shutout innings. He gave up two hits, but walked five guys.

Juan Sanchez, who has pitched nicely in camp for the Giants this spring, came in to relieve Seymour in the top of the fourth. Sanchez walked two, but struckout two in a scoreless inning of work.

The 6’8” right-hander Carson Ragsdale came in for the Giants in the top of the fifth, and the River Cats rocked him for three runs to extend their lead to 5-0. Ragsdale went two and two thirds, and Nick Garcia got the final out of the top of the seventh.

Eric Silva pitched a 1-2-3 top of the eighth for the Giants, and Pablo Sandoval pinch-hit for Austin Slater, and laced a base-hit to right off the left-hander John Bertrand to start the bottom of the eighth. Sandoval would be out at second after Blake Sabol reached on a 4-6 fielder’s choice, but Tyler Fitzgerald singled in Sabol with two outs to finally put the Giants on the board.

The River Cats tacked on three more runs in the top off the ninth off Spencer Bivens to blow it open, and Nick Avila pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth for Sacramento to close it out, as the River Cats won it 8-1.

The River Cats now lead the all-time exhibition series two games to one against the Giants, and with the excitement and success of tonight’s game for both organizations and the city of Sacramento, it would be easy to assume that fans will not have to wait too long before the two teams square off at Sutter Health Park again.

Since this game was against a minor league game, it does not count towards the Giants’ overall spring training record. The Giants will close out their spring training schedule with two games against their crossbay rival A’s. The first will be at 6:40 p.m. on Monday at the Oakland Coliseum, followed by the Giants’ spring training finale when they host the A’s Tuesday night at Oracle Park.

Other Notes:

Logan Webb, who was born and raised in the Sacramento suburb of Rocklin was back in town, but with Webb set to make his third-straight opening day start when the Giants open the Regular Season in San Diego on Thursday, he did not pitch tonight.

“[I] came down this morning to see my family, [and] say hi to everybody,” said Webb. “I couldn’t miss out on coming back here…..I know how much pride this area has in their sports teams; the Giants’ ties run deep [here].”

“It’s always special coming here,” Webb continued. “Honestly, I wish there was a [major league] baseball team here…..I think [Sacramento] can have one…..You see how much Kings fans show up, [and] how much River Cats show up. I love it here.”

Webb expressed his excitement for being back in Sacramento, as well as being able to convert two of his teammates into Kings fans.

“Alex Cobb is a Kings fan now,” Webb said. “Ryan Walker, I think, is following [them] a little more. [The Kings have] been fun to watch, and hopefully, they keep going.”

Webb has struggled this spring, but is trying to put it behind him.

“Obviously, as a competitor, you don’t want to go out there and hear all the cliches, ‘it’s just spring training,’” said Webb. “Everything feels good; it’s just [not] the results I’ve been looking for.”

Pablo Sandoval who has been back in camp hoping for a third stint with the Giants has hit .178 this spring, and Tuesday’s spring training finale as the A’s is rumored to be a final farewell for Sandoval, who despite the odds being stacked against him, has been humble, and has made his excitement and gratitude to get one last chance with the Giants clear.

Sandoval has made an impact in camp, as he has been the connection to the Giants’ world championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014, and he has had an effect on the young players, who are set to be the team’s future.

According to Manager Bob Melvin, Sandoval has gotten the biggest ovations of any player. Melvin also said that he has specifically sent in Sandoval as a pinch-runner in games this spring to get more of the ovations.

Melvin also discussed the final cuts the Giants are set to make as they prepare to set their 26-man roster for Opening Day. Melvin told the team at the start of camp that even the players who were going to get cut were going to be needed at some point during the Regular Season.

“[With] the way our roster’s constructed, it’s gonna take an army to win,” said Melvin.” “These guys have to know that there’s a good chance they’re gonna be part of this.”

Giants bolster rotation and add Blake Snell on 2-year deal

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell and agent Scott Boras address the media on Wed Mar 20, 2024 at Scottsdale AZ (AP News photo)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants have strengthened their rotation, as they have agreed to sign 2023 National League Cy Young Award Winner Blake Snell to a two-year, $62 million contract, according to MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman

The deal caps off a strong off-season for the Giants, which started off with them adding Bob Melvin as manager, and continued with the signings of Jung-hoo Lee, Robbie Ray, Jordan Hicks and Tom Murphy. Jorge Soler and Matt Chapman were signed during Spring Training, and Snell could be set to join them in the final week of camp.

Blake Snell came up with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016, and was their ace through the COVID-shortened 60-game sprint season of 2020. He won the American League Cy Young Award in 2018; struggled, but helped lead the Rays to the Postseason in 2019; and led them to the World Series in 2020.

Snell was infamously pulled by Rays Manager Kevin Cash in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the bottom of the sixth inning, despite throwing a shutout. After Snell was pulled, the Dodgers scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead, and won the game 3-1 to win their first world championship since 1988.

Following Cash’s controversial move, Snell was traded to the San Diego Padres that off-season. Snell struggled in a 2021 campaign that saw the Padres collapse down the stretch. He then bounced back, and helped lead the Padres to the National League Championship Series in 2022. Snell then won his second cy young award in an otherwise disappointing 2023 season for the Padres.

Snell’s cy young season was believed to be a massive booster for him as he entered free agency. However, Snell, along with Chapman, Cody Bellinger and Jordan Montgomery, who were all represented by prominent agent Scott Boras, all remained on the market as teams reported to Spring Training in February. Snell, along with Chapman and Bellinger were signed after games got underway, and Montgomery remains a free agent.

Snell now joins Logan Webb, who finished second in cy young voting last season. Snell also joins what is set to be a strong rotation for the Giants. Along with Webb and Snell, Kyle Harrison, the young left-handed phenom, who saw time late in 2023, will be bumped from the second spot to the third spot in the rotation.

The rotation could also be further fortified by the experiment of turning the flamethrower Jordan Hicks from a reliever to a starter; the return of Alex Cobb and the newly-signed Ray off the Injured List; and the potential of right-handed Carson Whisenhunt making his major league debut later this season.

Snell will still need to pass a physical. Once he was done so, it could be assumed that Snell will join the Giants in their final week of camp in Scottsdale, and will get a start or two prior to the Giants’ opener in San Diego on March 28. It is most likely that Snell will begin the Regular Season in the minor leagues, and be ready to join the Giants in the middle of April.

Other Notes:

The Giants and Longtime Public Address Announcer Renel Brooks-Moon mutually parted ways on Monday.

Brooks-Moon, who had served as the Giants’ PA announcer for 24 years since then-Pacific Bell Park’s opening in 2000, has enshrined herself into Giants Lore. She was behind the microphone for the Giants’ run to the National League Pennant in 2002, and their three world championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

Brooks-Moon was at Barry Bonds’ breaking of the single-season record on Oct. 5, 2001 against the Dodgers, and his breaking of the all-time home run record on Aug. 7, 2007 against the Washington Nationals.

She was also there for Matt Cain’s Perfect Game against the Houston Astros on June 13, 2012, as well as Tim Lincecum’s two no-hitters, which were thrown on July 9, 2009 and June 25, 2014 respectively, both against the Padres.

Brooks-Moon has become a beloved and outspoken figure not just with the Giants, but with San Francisco and the Bay Area. She was the voice of the Cathedral of 3rd and King, and for so many younger fans, they do not know Giants Baseball without her.

There has yet to be word on who Brooks-Moon’s replacement will be, or how the process will play out.

Brooks-Moon was the second woman to be an MLB PA announcer. She succeeded Sherry Davis, who was the first.

J.D. Davis signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, following his release from the Giants on March 11.

Davis was encouraged to come to Oakland by Alex Wood, who had been a member of the Giants’ rotation from 2021 to 2023. They are also joined by Ross Strippling, who the Giants traded to Oakland on Feb. 2.